Brit faces Iraq trial over pot shards’ theft

BAGHDAD — A British national accused by Iraq of collecting small archaeological fragments will be tried next week on charges potentially punishable by death, his Baghdad lawyer said Wednesday.

Retired geologist Jim Fitton, 66, was arrested in March at the Baghdad airport after Iraqi customs officials found him in possession of pottery fragments taken from an ancient site in southern Iraq. A German citizen accompanying him was also charged, but details of his case have not been made public.

Fitton will stand trial before Iraq’s Felony Court on May 15, his lawyer, Thair Soud, told reporters.

The charges against him are based on Iraq’s opaque antiquities laws and are punishable by death. However, Fitton’s legal team and a British official following the case have said they believe this outcome will be unlikely.

Soud had drafted a proposal under Iraqi law to have the case closed before a trial takes place on the grounds that it could harm Iraq’s national interests.

Fitton’s family has petitioned the British Foreign Office to assist Soud in submitting his proposal to Iraq’s public prosecutor, garnering over 100,000 signatures. Fitton missed his daughter Leila Fitton’s wedding in Malaysia, which took place last Sunday. She said she was “heartbroken” by his absence.